Producer JD Beales was vacationing in the Philippines with his wife when he first discovered the work of Paul Sta. Ana, whose work was screening on the campus of Ateneo de Manila—his wife’s alma mater.

“I was inspired by how much he and his peers were able to achieve with little in terms of resources,” says Beales of Sta. Ana’s work. “I was impressed with the story, acting, and intent.”

So began their collaboration, which ultimately led to the making of “The Coin Bearer (Oros).” They actually set out to make an entirely different film.

“Paul and I began our collaboration with an entirely different project,” says Beales. “I was more compelled by Paul and by my desire to collaborate with him in the beginning than any particular story.”

For Beales, a big challenge in the production was “letting go of [his] desire to control the production.

“I felt that my involvement as an American at such an intimate level might detract from telling the story that we wanted to tell,” he says. “The production had many challenges, but my biggest challenge was my own ego.”

He decided that the best way to produce the film was from a distance, so he was actually not present during the actual shooting. He watched the dailies, but from afar.

“Giving up a level of control to realize a greater good was actually quite difficult for me,” Beales explains. “My name only appears one time in the credits, and as silly as this may sound, I'm proud of that.”